Part XVII · Yoga poses
Hero Pose: A Kneeling Stretch for Thighs, Shins and Ankles
Kneel with the tops of your feet flat and sit down between your heels, on a block if you need one. Stretches the front of your thighs, shins and ankles.
The lesson
- 01
Kneel, toes pointing back
Kneel with your knees together and your feet just wider than your hips. Tops of the feet flat on the mat, toes pointing straight back, not turned out.
- 02
Set your seat first
Put a block or a firm cushion between your feet before you sit. Most people need one, and some need two. There is no prize for reaching the floor.
- 03
Move the calves out of the way
Before you sit, reach back and draw the flesh of each calf back toward the heel and out to the side with your hand. It leaves more room behind the knee.
- 04
Sit down between your heels
Lower your seat onto the block, between your feet, not on top of them. Knees stay together and point straight ahead.
- 05
Sit tall and breathe
Hands on your thighs, spine long, shoulders soft. Breathe out slowly and let the stretch build across your quads, shins and the fronts of your ankles. A rolled towel under the ankles softens it if they complain.
- 06
The test
A deep stretch in the front of your thighs and ankles is the pose working. Any pain in the knee itself means sit higher, on a second block, and if that does not stop it, come out. To come out, lean forward onto your hands and lift your seat.
Watch for
- Feet splaying out or rolling in. The shin twists under the knee and the front of the ankle loses its stretch.
- Knees drifting wide apart. The stretch slides off the quads and the knees take an uneven twist.
- Slumping. The pelvis tips back, the lower back rounds and the front of the thighs lose the stretch.
Why does Hero Pose hurt my knees? The pose bends the knees as far as they go, and most knees are not ready for that straight away. Sit on a block, or two, until there is no pain in the knee, keep your feet pointing straight back, and move the calves out of the way before you sit. The stretch belongs in the front of the thigh, not in the joint: if a second block does not stop the pain, come out.
How long should you hold Hero Pose? A minute, in the cooldown that ends the Range · 01 and Balance · 01 routines, and in Post-Run Yoga · 02 straight after the Toe Squat. Let slow breaths out do the work, and if your breathing strains, sit higher. There is no daily target: sit in it when your training day has one of those routines.
What does Hero Pose stretch? The quads at the front of your thighs, your shins, and the fronts of your ankles and feet.
Next
Butterfly→It follows Hero in the cooldown that ends Range · 01 and Balance · 01. Sitting with the soles of your feet together and knees wide, the stretch moves from the front of your thighs to the inner thighs.
From the book
22Range lets you rest on your line→